PriyaMeansLove

Handcrafted Organics for Skin, Body, and Hair

Baltimore, Maryland On Etsy since 2009

7,475 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

Buyers are raving!

This shop got multiple 5-star reviews in the past 7 days.

PriyaMeansLove

Handcrafted Organics for Skin, Body, and Hair

Baltimore, Maryland | 7,475 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

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Priya Narasimhan

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Priya Narasimhan

Announcement    purist all natural * organic ingredients * high performance * handcrafted from scratch by Priya
> > small luxuries to help you care for the body you live in < <

Announcement

Last updated on Jan 29, 2020

purist all natural * organic ingredients * high performance * handcrafted from scratch by Priya
> > small luxuries to help you care for the body you live in < <

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Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(1658)
See reviews that mention:
quality 44 shipping 136 customer service 110

About PriyaMeansLove

Sales 7,475
On Etsy since 2009
  • Cutting balsam fir tips from my family's tree, to make Balsam Fir Deodorant.
  • Where it's made.
  •  
  •  
  • Part of my tincture shelf. Captured by Plaid Photography, Baltimore, MD.

Radiant beauty without compromise.

INGREDIENTS & PHILOSOPHY.
Priya Means Love is a one-woman business, started by me, Priya, after chronic illness forced me to leave my post-graduate studies in math. I found delight and inspiration in playing with these beautiful ingredients, in discovering herbalism, and in becoming a part of the indie crafting scene in Toronto, where Priya Means Love started -- and in the process, I created products that eased my chemical sensitivities and made my skin and hair happier than ever, all using only radically all-natural, responsibly grown ingredients that I was proud to buy.

My intention is to continually educate myself on ingredients with an open mind, but I craft like an ideological ingredient purist: every single one of my ingredients is hardcore natural and minimally processed, and nearly all are certified organic or ethically wildharvested. They are ingredients you would be proud to eat, plus clays and specialty oils. This means that no Priya Means Love products will ever contain petroleum products, parabens, sulfates or synthetic fragrances. I also avoid ingredients of natural origin that have been so heavily processed, they may as well be synthetic in my book, e.g. emulsifying wax, grapefruit seed extract, sodium lauryl sulfate, and cocamidopropyl betaine.

I have chemical sensitivities, especially to synthetic fragrances and pthalates, so you can be sure my products never contain them; the wonderful scents come only from the fragrant whole ingredients used to make them: virgin beeswax, coconut oil, essential oils, and from flowers, herbs, and spices that I infuse in various ways.


THANK YOU
for stopping by, for your purchase, and for your feedback and vibes! It's a delight to be able to spend my days concocting good stuff, and it thrills me to no end when my creations bring other people pleasure too.


P.S.
Priya does actually mean love (in Sanskrit). :)

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  • Priya Narasimhan

    Owner, Formulator, Maker

    Lover of nature, led by the nose through the world, loves the delicious and the sensual. Purist formulator, ex mathematician, fibromyalgia sufferer. Happiest solving a formulating problem or during a sensory aha! moment in the workshop.

Shop policies

Last updated on November 5, 2016
Self care for skin, body, hair, and spirit. All natural, organic, and high performance. Made from exquisite plants, clays, beeswax, botanical essences, and other beautiful ingredients that honor the body and the planet.

Accepted payment methods

Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
  • Money Order
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept cancellations
Request a cancellation within: 2 days of purchase
I don't accept returns or exchanges
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Returns and exchange details
Due to the personal nature of my products, I'm unable to accept returns. That said, if you've received an item you believe to be defective, or if for any reason you are unsatisfied with your order, please let me know right away, and we will work together to find a solution!
Shipping
When you place your order, you'll see a "ship by" date. Should you need your order sooner, just let me know -- I can often ship orders sooner on request!

Your order will be packed in eco-friendly materials: recycled boxes and mailers, recycled GreenWrap, and/or reused bubble wrap.

I ship via insured USPS. If you'd like additional services like signature confirmation at an additional cost, please let me know.
IMPORTANT: if your delivery location is prone to theft, please either let me know, or request signature confirmation.

More information

Last updated on Nov 5, 2016
Frequently asked questions
Do your products contain petroleum products, synthetic fragrances, fragrance oils, parabens, formaldehyde releasers, or other synthetic preservatives?

No, never -- this is very important to me. My passion, which became my business, stems from my reverence for natural, minimally processed beautiful materials, and from my own profound chemical sensitivities -- so you can be sure that my none of my products will ever contain these sorts of materials. My products are truly, radically all natural.

What do you mean by radically all natural?

That's a tough question to answer in a short space. But, in essence: there's no standard definition for what "all natural" means in the bodycare and cosmetic world.* Different people have different definitions, and I often see products labeled "all natural" that contain dubious ingredients.

What I mean by radically all natural is that every single ingredient I use would fit anyone's notion of what it is to be natural. My products are made from simple, elemental, minimally processed ingredients like herbs, clays, essential oils, oils, and beeswax. Good, clean food, basically!

*In fact "all natural" isn't a regulated term, and any company can call their products natural, even if they contain synthetic fragrances, preservatives, etc.!

Given that your products are all natural, how long do they last?

Quite a while! Typically 1-3 years. I formulate my products to be enjoyed over time, and each product is labeled with its batch number and with an "enjoy by" date. The shelf life depends on the particular oils in the product -- just as you wouldn't cook with olive oil that's a few years old, so also will the natural oils in bodycare go rancid over time. If you get to the end of the stated shelf life and your product still feels and smell fresh (no gumminess to a balm, no whiff of old oil), feel free to keep using it! I am pretty conservative when stating shelf life, so products typically last months longer than indicated.

How should I store and care for my Priya Means Love products?

Away from sunlight and at consistent room temperature is ideal -- your medicine cabinet or a shady dresser top is perfect. No need to store in the fridge. Think of it like how you'd store dried herbs -- sunlight steals the mojo of these products, and heat can dull the aromatics over time. And repeated fluctuations from very warm to very cold can change the texture of body butters and creams,

A few places to *avoid* storing your goodies: in a car (big temperature swings!), on top of a radiator, on a sunny windowsill.

Because my products are made from natural oils, butters, and waxes, they may become softer in very hot weather or harder in cold weather. These texture variations are normal and won't affect the performance of the product.

Notes on allergies and medical conditions.

My products are rich in botanicals, which speak to our bodies in complex, profound ways. But with plants, allergies are always a possibility. Please read ingredients lists, know your own allergies, and ask questions; when in doubt consult your doctor and/or do a patch test. All the descriptions of my products and ingredients are for educational purposes only.

Are your products cruelty free? Vegan?

My products are cruelty free and always will be. I am personally against animal testing, and I will never test my products on animals. To be cruelty-free, a company's ingredients must not be tested on animals either. Part of the reason I use simple, natural ingredients with a long history of human use is that they sidestep the supposed "need" for animal testing, because they're already known to be safe.

My products are all vegetarian (like me!), and many are naturally vegan. The only non-vegan ingredients I use are beeswax from local farmers who use good bee-friendly practices, natural lanolin (extracted from sheared sheep's wool), and powdered milk. Many of my products can be made vegan on request -- feel free to convo me!

Packaging return program.

I try to avoid bringing more packaging into this world! Most of my glass packaging can be returned to me for a refund of $1 per piece. Unfortunately I'm unable to cover shipping expenses, so I recommend saving up a handful of containers before mailing your glass packaging back to me. Convo me for my shipping address; when I receive your packaging, I'll issue you a refund on a previous order or via PayPal.

I often vend at markets in the Baltimore/DC/Philadelphia area -- if you live in the area, you're welcome to return packaging to me in person!

A few years ago I bought a lip scrub / perfume / body butter from you that I LOVED and it's no longer in your shop -- do you have more, or can you make another for me?

Quite possibly! Feel free to email me to ask -- you never know!

Where can I smell and feel your products in person? Do you offer wholesale?

You can find me at MARKETS in the Baltimore/DC/Philadelphia area -- find my market schedule here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/priyameanslove#local

STOCKISTS -- each carries a different selection of my products, so call ahead if you're looking for a specific product! Here's a partial list:
BALTIMORE area: Hunting Ground, Artifact Coffee, Vita, Rooster & Hen Store, Trohv
DC area: Botanologica, Stitch & Rivet
PHILADELPHIA: Moon + Arrow
NYC: Remedies Herb Shop
Long Island: Codfish Cowboy

WHOLESALE INQUIRIES: Have a beautiful shop where my organic products would fit in? Please contact me at priyameanslove at gmail, or find me on Etsy Wholesale!

Who makes all this stuff? Where?

All of my products are handmade from scratch by me! I formulate and handmake everything in my Baltimore workshop, using only radically all natural, minimally processed ingredients, most of which are organic or wildharvested. I aim to make my products as from-scratch as possible, starting with herbs, some of which I grow, wildharvest, or source from a nearby farm. My workshop is always brimming with herbs infusing in oils and tinctures brewing, raw materials that will end up in my Deep Radiance Face Cream, Balsam Fir Deodorant, Lavender Mud shampoo -- you name it!